Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to surgical instruments and, more particularly, to a surgical instrument for luminal tissue sealing, e.g., bowel sealing.
Background of Related Art
Electrosurgical instruments, e.g., electrosurgical forceps, utilize both mechanical clamping action and electrical energy to affect hemostasis by heating tissue to coagulate and/or cauterize tissue. Certain surgical procedures require more than simply cauterizing tissue and rely on the unique combination of clamping pressure, precise electrosurgical energy control and gap distance (i.e., distance between opposing jaw members when closed about tissue) to “seal” tissue.
As can be appreciated, in order to create an effective tissue seal, different considerations are taken into account depending on the characteristics, e.g., composition, structure and/or function, of the tissue to be sealed. For example, in order to effectively seal the bowel, it is important to consider the stresses imparted on the seal as a result of distention of the bowel as well as peristaltic reactions within the bowel.